Vane pump design

[MNBVC]

Hello, I'm a 3d designer who occasionally gets involved in the engineering side of things. Despite having no experience of pump design I find myself in the position of having to design one. I have found a windscreen washer pump (small high speed dc motor, 3 blade 22mmD propellor, 3.5mm outlet - I believe it's a vane pump) which does the job and I need to design a pump which will achieve a similar performance. A bad way to go about this would be to produce an inefficient pump and scale it up to achieve the flow rate I require. In order to produce a relatively efficient design I need to know how the following alter efficiency:
Distance between blade tips and housing
No of paddles
Flat or flared blades (looking down inlet)
Tapered blades (looking down outlet)
Is it better to have the outlet dividing wall sharp or rounded.
I also require some guidance/ rules of thumb on designing a tubular lead in to the blades- does a bad design cause cavitation- some pumps don't have this feature.
Apologies for my lack of pump terminology. Any help or direction will be greatly appreciated

 

[insideman]

I am tempted to recommend using A pump with rubber vanes that deflect to squeeze the fluid out. Look at pumps for washing machines.

 

[enirwin]

Suspect you would be better off buying a pump or rebuilding the one you've got rather than trying to design one from scratch with no prior knowledge. Lots of opportunities for mistakes.

You might look at a diaphragm pump as well. They are commonly used for washer pumps.

 

[MNBVC]

Thanks for the advice - Just to complicate things, the head of the pump will need to be disposable and manufactured from food grade plastics - does anyone know of anything similar.

 

[automatic2]

As an engineer you should know that effective design begins at defining the task. A vane pump is a positive displacement device. Your query indicates you may be viewing a centrifugal pump, at totally different animal. Describe the task before considering the solution.

 

[MNBVC]

I have no formal engineering training and I've made a mistake - As mentioned above I am seeking info/ advice on centrifugal pump design. I'm not looking to be patronised, I'm looking for help.

 

[automatic2]

Apologies. Jump on the net and source a pump for your needs. Designing one is redundant and will cost you far more than off the shelve purchase.

 

[CB2]

You need to give us more information about your application!
flow, discharge conditions, suction canditions, material to be pumped, temperature, viscosity, duty cycle, prime mover requirements, etc.